Decision Before Dawn (1951): cast, story & where to watch
1951 · Film · ★ 6.7
Released in 1951, Decision Before Dawn is an action, thriller and war film directed by Anatole Litvak, running about 119 minutes. “A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s about. WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
Who’s in it. Decision Before Dawn stars Richard Basehart as Lt. Dick Rennick, Gary Merrill as Col. Devlin, Oskar Werner as Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy and Hildegard Knef as Hilde, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 6.7/10, Decision Before Dawn has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.
Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Decision Before Dawn page.
If you liked it. Fans of Decision Before Dawn tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Decision Before Dawn (1951)?
- In US, Decision Before Dawn is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Decision Before Dawn worth watching?
- Decision Before Dawn holds an audience score of 6.7 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy action, thriller and war. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in Decision Before Dawn?
- Decision Before Dawn stars Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill, Oskar Werner, Hildegard Knef and Dominique Blanchar.
- When was Decision Before Dawn released?
- Decision Before Dawn was released in 1951, with a runtime of about 119 minutes.